Aussies cling to cash as new RBA data reveals surprising trend
Australia’s attitude towards cash has changed, with fresh survey data revealing the nation’s stance on a cashless society.


News.com.au
April 20, 2026

Australians are clinging to cash as usage rises despite fears that physical tender could cease to exists in the years to come.

New RBA survey data shows the key role cash still plays in society.

According to RBA report authors Kieran MacGibbon, Michelle Royters and Faye Wang, more than a third of Australians surveyed said they would face hardship or major inconvenience if they could not use cash.

“Those who used cash more frequently for transactions were more likely to report that they would be adversely affected if cash was not readily accessible and accepted,” the report said.

“Over 70 per cent of high cash users indicated that they would face major difficulties if they could no longer withdraw cash.”

Australians still want access to cash payments.   

Surprisingly, the survey data also showed cash usage was on the rise, as it lifted from 13 per cent of transactions in 2022 to 15 per cent in 2025.

Payments by value in the economy remains virtually unchanged at 8 per cent, thanks to Australians largely using cash for small in-person transactions.

This comes despite experts saying Australia would functionally be cashless by about 2030, as digital payments continue to take a larger share of the nation’s transactions.   

This stabilisation of cash usage follows a dramatic fall during the Covid pandemic when cash usage slumped to its lowest levels on record as consumers switched to digital payments.


Despite the pick up in cash usage, it still remains the least often used of all payment types.

According to the RBA’s survey of 1200 Australians, about one in two consumers still make a cash payment in a typical week.

Australians are using more cash compared with three years ago.

While Australians of all demographic groups regularly use cash, older Australians and low-income households have the highest cash usage.

The report says cash still plays an important role in the Australia economy, particularly as a viable back-up to card payments.

“Many Australians still carry cash for unexpected transactions or in case electronic payments are not available,” the RBA report stated.

“The survey results highlight the important role of cash in an inclusive and resilient payments system.”

Cash users punished

The RBA has come out in support of cash just weeks after announcing it would ban pesky surcharges on card transactions.

At the end of March, the RBA released its long-awaited review of merchant card payment costs and surcharging.

As part of three key changes, the RBA says it’s removing surcharging on debit, prepaid and credit cards across eftpos, MasterCard and Visa networks.

Instead, businesses will be required to include the entire price – including any costs to issue the credit – as part of the sticker price.

Australians are slugged about $1.6bn in surcharge payments every year, while businesses pay $200m to card providers.

Experts warn removing surcharges could negatively impact cash users.

Cash Welcome founder Jason Bryce told NewsWire at the time that the RBA went a step too far by removing surcharges on both debit and credit card spending.


“I’m concerned cash users are going to end up paying for the frequent flyer points and the benefits that accrue to people using fancy credit cards,” he said.

“So who is losing? Ordinary bank account holders with a debit card, cash users, people budgeting and I can’t see how small businesses are going to like this at all.”

Mr Bryce said the announcement did not get rid of surcharging. Instead, it simply hid the fees businesses paid to card providers.

RBA hints at the future of cash as campaigners urge Australians to take action

The New Daily
Apr 20, 2026



Give the rapid growth in the use of ‘tap-and-go’ payments and online shopping, we may be forgiven for thinking that cash is all but dead in Australia.

However, around half the nation’s population continues to use cash every week asn its popularity is increasing, according to newly released data from the Reserve Bank.   


The findings come ahead of a planned Cash Out Day organised by campaigners determined to preserve the widespread use of banknotes and coins.

The RBA, which issues and oversees the supply of notes and coins, says cash remains very important – particularly among older Australians.

“Cash supports economic inclusion, serves as a fallback if electronic payments are unavailable and is an important store of value, particularly during periods of economic uncertainty,” it said in a survey issued Monday.

The survey, which is conducted every three years, shows 15.4 per cent of payments, by number, were made with cash in 2025.

That’s the first rise since the survey began in 2007 and up from 13.3 per cent three years ago, although it’s still well down from 69 per cent when the survey began gathering data.

In-person cash payments, usually at the shops, totalled almost 20 per cent, which was an improvement on 2022’s 16.4 per cent.

“Cash continued to be used more frequently for lower value transactions,” the survey found.

Around one-in-four payments under $10 were made with cash, with most people carrying a median of $65 in their wallets.


“Australians have consistently used cash more frequently to pay for leisure – such as going to the cinema or local community events – than for most other types of spending, even as overall cash use has declined in the past 20 years,” the RBA said.

The leisure sector accounted for about 34 per cent of cash payments in 2025.


In contrast, transport made up about 15 per cent, reflecting increased use of card taps for public transport and rideshares or taxis.

Some Australians – around 3 per cent – were described as high cash users and relying on physical currency for 80 per cent or more of transactions, according to the bank’s calculations.

Low users, who pay cash for up to 20 per cent of transactions, account for about 17 per cent.

“Australians across all demographic groups continue to use cash to make their everyday payments,” the RBA said.

As the bank noted, millions of Australians like their cash and see it as a good backup to keep at home or in their wallets in case electronic payment systems go down or they have an unexpected expense.

Asked why they need cash, most survey respondents said it was to pay merchants that only accept cash, make budgeting easier, pay family and friends and for security and privacy reasons.

Asked why they want cash, some 20 per cent said they wanted to avoid surcharges on other payment methods – like cards – and preferred to use it for low-value transactions.

There is more than $100 billion worth of Australian banknotes in circulation, according to the bank.

Cash Out Day
The release of the survey’s findings come ahead of a planned Cash Out Day on April 28, during which pro-cash advocates will urge Australians to head to their local ATM.   

cash rba
Campaigners want Australians to show their love of cash. Photo: AAP

Cash Out Day has previously been used by campaigners as a way to vote “no” to a cashless society, which they say they fear in the face of ongoing ATM closures.

The pro-cash community claimed more than $500,000 was withdrawn as part of their 2024, although the Australian Banking Association (ABA) disputed it actually made any material impact.

The government introduced a cash mandate from January 2026, expected to cover supermarkets, utilities, petrol stations, and other essential service providers.

The ‘big four’ major banks have also committed to not closing any more regional branches until at least 2027.

For the last 20 years, I have been using cash to pay for my booze. I also have more recently been paying cash for fast food orders. I just don't need to have luxury items appear on my bank statements.

It should not be legal to not accept cash.

I've kept cash on hand for a couple of months now, and I have to say it's worked out better than I thought.

It seems I'm more aware of what I'm spending on incidentals - coffee, on-the-fly deli purchases, etc., than I thought I would be.